The Quest for Normalcy: The fall of the Phoners- IC (Nydie & Phenox)

[Nydie]

"I don't know if it's possible to restore the phoners to the way that they were before the pulse...but we could at least end the signal and prevent anyone else from being turned." Angela replied quietly, still wondering exactly what could be done. If the signal ended, what would happen to the phoners that existed now? Like everything else in this new life, there was more questions than answers. She doubted even the people who had the answers, the ones responsible for the pulse, were even remotely capable of answering anything. Chances were, they were phoners or had been killed during the start of the pulse, before the phoners became somewhat settled in their behavior.

"No one has any clue what the reason for the pulse was. Some people think it was a terrorist attack, but if it was, wouldn't the terrorist have made some statement before or after the attack?" That had been the biggest question on everyone's mind since the start. She couldn't find anything that resembled an answer to that. Cellphones were practically a permanent fixture in everyone's life before the pulse; turning them into a weapon would not just affect the United States, it would affect the entire world. Sure, there were some obscure places in the world where there cellphones weren't a part of their lifestyle, but not nearly as many as there were places where cellphones were common place. Today, however, you could barely walk without seeing the shattered remains of a phone on the ground.

"We don't know for a fact that we'll die trying to end it. Life hasn't changed that much in the sense that nothing is written in stone. We could die regardless of what we do. The important thing is to at least try and make a stand." Angela took a few moments to stop for a drink, pulling one of her bottles of water out of her bag and offering the other one to Jason. "Everyone wants peace, but I don't think the phoners will ever let us have it. They're the dominant species now. They hold all of the power, and if they wanted us all dead, they could do it without even touching us."

"Ironic, isn't it?" She finally said, talking about Jason's news. "Life starts looking up, only to fall completely apart minutes later." Extending her hand out, Angela patted Jason lightly on the shoulder. "Congratulations, either way." She smiled faintly at him before turning around to start walking. If circumstances had been different, Angela might have felt happier for him, but the way things were now, it was difficult not to be apprehensive about feeling anything for anyone. The more you cared about someone, the harder it was to look out for yourself without putting them into consideration. Still, Angela held on to some hope that Jason would stick around, and that they would be able to watch each others back. It was just a matter of getting accustomed to having someone else around.

[Phenox]

Jason smiled at Angela when she congratulated him. "Yeah, thanks. Maybe if we succeed and everything returns to normal, I can finally get some use out of it." He continued walking along. Angela... it still felt like a dream to him. He expected to wake up any minute now. Out of all the people he could have met, he met his best friend. Or... someone who used to be his best friend. He sighed, wishing Angela was her old self. It was probably for the best that she wasn't, though.


If she had been herself, she may very well be dead. Jason thought that he probably wasn't his old self either. Which was also a good thing. He gazed forward. They certainly had a long journey ahead of them. Maybe they would bond again during the trip. Jason didn't count on it though. He believed that he and Angela were both too far gone to be compatible as friends anymore. But maybe that wasn't all true. He and Angela HAVE bonded a bit in the short time they discovered each other.

Maybe it wasn't all lost.
Maybe...